Johnny, I can find Blenheim’s hot ginger ale’s at BevMo. And most commercial ginger beers are non-alcoholic.
parthenokinesis, the alcohol content is not significant, as ginger beer is typically only fermented a little bit. Because there is not nearly the ratio of sugars to water you would use for beer, by the time the alcohol is significant, the ginger beer is pretty nasty. Refrigerate the ginger beer as soon as you think it’s carbonated enough and that will slow down the yeast.
Sadly, this is one area where California is better than Washington. Only the State can sell spirits, so stores like BevMo are right out. (I don’t drink much, but every so often I’d like a bottle of Carolans or something. It’s even a hassle having to go to a State liquor store to get cognac for my steak au poivre. Let alone the $2.44/l liquor tax and the 20.5% liquor sales tax!)
Aw crap, sorry. I keep forgetting you are not in SoCal anymore. I have not seen it yet at Trader Joe’s. <pause> Looks like you can get it online, Blenheim Ginger Ale Sodas but it’s a bit expensive, even before the shipping.
Are your yeast bubbling yet?
I moved it into the living room, which is warmer than the laundry room. Yep! There are bubbles lining the inside of the bottle, and my dent is mostly undented. 
RealSoda - 135th and Aurora Ave (Exit 174 on I-5, go west on 130th to Aurora Ave, north to 135th (next light), left about 1/2 block on the right). It’s a pretty popular item, so I may want to call ahead if you’re going to make sure they have it in stock. Don’t know what their number is.
They also sometimes have real Dr. Pepper (Cane Sugar version) as well.
When I was a kid mum making ginger beer was part of life…including the explosions!
I made ginger beer a few times. But I would drink the results so quickly that it never seemed worth the effort. Maybe if I do several 2-liters at once…
I’ve cracked the lid a couple of times. Not much hiss. Will this be carbonated when it’s done?
I’m thinking I’ll let it sit until six o’clock, as that will have been 48 hours, and then put it in the fridge.
Yes, if you stop letting the co2 out. If the bottle is clear plastic, you should be able to see tiny bubbles of yeast farts trailing up the sides. It won’t be as carbonated as a store bought bottle of Coke, but it should have some bubbles in the glass.
Well, the bottle is starting to get a little hard. Still some give in it though.
I’m working on second hand info, because I went a kegging system a long time ago, but my buddy says when the 2litre plastic bottle is as hard as a fresh bottle of coke from the store, it’s time for refrigeration.
If you leave the dang lid alone, then yes, it will be carbonated. Stop bleeding it, and let it pressurize already!
Also, it will not be 100% non-alcoholic. If you’re using yeast to produce carbon dioxide, there will be alcohol in it. No way to get around it. It won’t be very much, but you’re using fermentation.
Well I used this recipe for my first fermantaion experiment and it turned out ok. I imaging it’s not gingery enough for you because of the lack of cooking. Bring it to a simmer for 10 minutes and let it cool before bottling and it should zip up a bit. Next time I’ll try my standard Ginger-ade recipe and add some yeasties.
Just tried some!
Gingery, but not as hot as I’d hoped. Might have to double (or triple?) the ginger next time. Also, too much lemon. I’ll try cutting it by half. Sweetness (six ounces sugar for 2 litres) was about right.
Time to brew again.
This time I’m using 4 oz of ginger instead of the 2 oz I used last time. I’m still using 6 oz sugar. (Actually, a smidge more. 1/8 oz? 1/4 oz?) I was going on memory and used 6 oz. water instead of 4 oz. I don’t think it will make that much difference, unless the extra ‘tea’ adds a little heat.
I’m wondering about the lemon. Alton Brown says to use two tablespoons lemon juice ‘because it needs acidity’. I found that to be too much, and the brew tasted a bit like ginger-flavoured lemonade.
Should I cut the amount of lemon juice in half? Or should I omit it altogether? I’m thinking the latter. Worst case, I just have to make another batch.
If you find yourself short on acidity and on hotness, consider a pinch of cayenne pepper or a drop of one of the Dave’s brand hot sauces. I tried a delicious hot ginger beer in Williamsburg that had cayenne on the ingredients list and was not at all disappointed.
There used to be a brand of soda called Skeleteens that featured cayenne or jalapeño in their drinks. I know I have some bottles of their From Dusk 'Til Dawn around here somewhere. I wonder if it’s till good after a decade? 
I also tried the Good Eats recipe last week, and I was underwhelmed. I tried the version linked to by Ogre some time ago, and I seem to remember liking that one more. The main difference is that in Alton’s case the ginger is steeped and then filtered out, while in the other version the ginger root is left in the bottle during fermentation. Alton’s version seemed a bit mild to me, even though I probably doubled the amount of ginger called for in the recipe. It also needed to be really ice-cold to be at its best, flavor-wise.
Brown called for 1.5 oz. ginger. Last time I used 2 oz. and was underwhelmed. Too little ‘bite’ and too much lemon.